Items you must declare on arrival

It is illegal to carry drugs including marijuana, cannabis, heroin, cocaine and amphetamines in and out of Australia.

Other items may be restricted. You will need a permit to carry these items in and out of Australia.

See the following table for a summary on what you can and can't carry and what you need to declare on your Incoming and Outgoing Passenger Cards. There are penalties for not declaring illegal and restricted items and for making false declarations on your Incoming or Outgoing Passenger Card.

Contact us or the consulate or embassy of the countries you're visiting before you travel for more advice about importing or exporting illegal and restricted items.

Do not carry illicit drugs. Penalties for drug offences in Australia are severe and could result in a jail term.

Firearms, weapons and ammunition

You must declare all firearms, weapons and ammunition including:

real and replica firearms

air soft pistols (BB guns) that discharge a pellet by means of compressed gas, commonly purchased as "toy" guns

paintball markers

blowpipes

all knives

nunchukas

slingshots

crossbows

electric shock devices

laser pointers

body armour

batons

pepper sprays

knuckle dusters

parts and accessories for use with firearms and weapons

Some of these items may require permission to be imported, and may be subject to other import requirements such as unique serial numbers and safety testing.

Performance and image enhancing drugs

All performance and image enhancing drugs must be declared on arrival.

These include human growth hormone, DHEA and all anabolic and androgenic steroids. These items cannot be imported into Australia without a permit.

Illegal pornography

Highly offensive pornography is controlled on import and export. This includes publications and any media which depicts child pornography, bestiality, and explicit sexual violence.

Currency

There is no limit to the amount of currency you can bring in or out of Australia. However, you must declare amounts of AUD10,000 or more in Australian currency or foreign equivalent.

You must disclose any promissory notes, travellers’ cheques, personal cheques, money orders, postal orders or other bearer negotiable instruments, regardless of value, if requested by one of our officers or a police officer.

Medicines

You need to declare medicines and substances which may be subject to misuse, abuse or dependence, such as:

steroids

opioid analgesics

cannabis or narcotic based medications

These products may be restricted or require a permit in order to be imported.

Traditional medicines

Some traditional medicines may contain endangered plant or animal products and these should be declared.

Prescription medicines

If you are carrying prescription medication you do not need to declare these provided you import no more than three months supply.

You should carry a letter of prescription from your doctor in the English language describing your medical condition.

If you are residing or visiting Australia for three months or longer and require ongoing medications, you should visit an Australian doctor to obtain your prescriptions.

Other things you should know when arriving

Fireworks, flammable liquids, corrosives, gas cylinders are not permitted on an aircraft or in your baggage.

If you're visiting Australia you can bring laptops and similar electronic equipment duty-free into Australia provided you take them with you when you leave.

Any person over one year of age must hold an individual international yellow fever vaccination certificate if they have stayed overnight or longer in a declared yellow fever infected country within six days prior to their arrival in Australia. See the Department of Health
fact sheet for more information.

If you are importing a motor vehicle, caravan or trailer, yacht or other craft, copies of brochures on requirements are available from Customs and Border Protection offices or Australian missions overseas.